In wireless communication, the transmit path generally includes multiple variable gain amplifiers (VGAs). For ease of compliance with power adjustment specifications and for other system considerations, it is advantageous to be able to linearly adjust the gain (in dB) of at least one VGA in the transmit path. For some VGA designs, the exponential gain is achieved with a differential amplifier stage that provides an output current that varies exponentially in response to a differential input control voltage. The transfer function for the differential amplifier is approximately linear-in-dB but compresses at large control voltages. This may result in problems because VGAs having non-linear-in-dB transfer functions can cause degraded performance. For example, a distorted, or non-linear, transfer function may make it more difficult to set the transmit output power to a particular level with accuracy.